SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Splash Brothers have been on the mark in recent games, allowing the Golden State Warriors not to skip a beat recently despite more bumps and bruises to their big men than they'd prefer.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will need to be on target again Saturday, because arguably the NBA's best big man will be standing in the Warriors' way Saturday.
Golden State will try to extend its latest winning streak to six games and beat the Sacramento Kings for the 14th straight time over four seasons when they visit the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento, which lost 105-103 to the Phoenix Suns on a buzzer-beater by Devin Booker on Friday will play the Warriors at home for the second time in less than four weeks.
Curry scored 30 and Thompson added 18 in a 117-106 win in Sacramento on Jan. 8, and they've been razor sharp over Golden State's past five games. Curry has averaged 34.8 points and , canned 29 of 52 3-point attempts while playing in four of them. Thompson has averaged 22.4 points, and shot 15-for-33 (45 percent) from 3-point range.
Golden State has won all five, the latest a 133-120 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers during which Curry made his 200th 3-pointer. The Warriors have won at least five straight 16 times over the past three seasons, and Curry became the first NBA player ever with 200 3's in five consecutive seasons.
"He has 200 already?" forward Kevin Durant said to reporters after the win. "That's crazy."
Durant has been his usual dominant self, too -- 26.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists in the winning streak -- but it's been better-than-solid efforts by reserves JaVale McGee (11 points, eight rebounds vs. the Clippers and James Michael McAdoo (career-high nine rebounds) that have allowed the Warriors to survive minor injuries to Draymond Green (shoulder) and Zaza Pachulia (strained rotator cuff) and a major one to David West (broken left thumb).
That group could have its hands full against Sacramento forward DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings' All-Star is averaging 28.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and posted his second triple double (22 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) in Sacramento's loss to the Suns.
He also was wearing ice on both shoulders after the game, nursing soreness he said has been there for a while and continuing to insist that the Kings are improving despite another slow start against Phoenix -- Sacramento missed 12 of its first 15 shots -- and losses in 12 of their past 16 contests, including four in a row and eight of their past nine at home.
"I don't really understand the slow start," he said. "We've been aware of that throughout the season, we know it's one of our main issues," he said. "Slow starts and not being aggressive."
The Kings hope to have forward Arron Afflalo back after he missed Friday's contest with a stomach illness. Sacramento already is without guard Garrett Temple (partially torn hamstring) until after the All-Star break and forward Rudy Gay (torn Achilles' tendon) for the season. Reserve forward Omri Casspi (leg tendon strain) hasn't played since Jan. 13.
The Warriors could see the debut of Briante Weber, whom they signed on Friday. They waived forward Anderson Varajeo to make room on the roster for him.
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